Ayurveda is an ancient holistic system of healing that strives to create balance in body, mind and spirit. Ayurveda means “the science of life” and it has been central to Aveda since the very beginning, when we first partnered with the Ayurvedic Doctors Vinod and Kusum Upadhyay*. They have helped us to tap 5,000 years of Ayurvedic wisdom in creating our products, including some with powerful, high-performing Ayurvedic herbal extracts.

In keeping with Ayurvedic principles—and because of our concern for the Earth—Aveda is committed to using organic ingredients. This has led to another Ayurvedic partnership, between Aveda and the Indian firm, Nisarga.

Nisarga—which means “nature” in Sanskrit—grows Ayurvedic herbs using organic and biodynamic agriculture. The firm owns farmland and also partners with locally owned organic farms to produce the Ayurvedic herbs ordered by Nisarga’s customers. We’ve partnered with Nisarga to source organic turmeric and amla for use in some of our products.
Turmeric grows at Nisarga’s organic Umbari farm, which creates jobs for nearby villagers planting the fields, harvesting the rhizomes, then steaming, drying and polishing them for shipment.

Amla is grown at the independent Devarashtre farm, one of many that works with Nisarga—which helped to certify the land as organic, paying the costs that make certification a barrier for many small farms. Villagers harvest the amla by hand, removing the seeds and drying the fruit before shipment for processing.

At the processing plant, Nisarga employs an environmentally friendly extraction method using carbon dioxide, which leaves no toxic residues and works at a lower temperature—yielding highly potent extracts.
Because of the company’s concern about the dangers of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, Nisarga works to encourage farmers to convert to organic agriculture. They have held regular seminars for about 35,000 farmers over the years, convincing many to go organic. Nisarga pays the organic certification costs for their farmer partners and also provides ongoing educational support to help make conversion successful.
Our support of Nisarga is helping them to expand organic farming, which is better for the Earth, the farmers—all of us.

*They practice Ayurvedic medicine and conduct Ayurvedic research at Maharshi Bhardwaj Clinic and Research Centre in Haridwar, India.

CLEAN WATER FOR INDIAN VILLAGES

Aveda has long been committed to protecting clean water and ensuring safe access to it.

We learned that two villages near the organic farm that supplies organic turmeric to Aveda experienced water shortages and contamination during the summer seasons. This led us to partner with Global Greengrants Fund to help the communities address their water problems.
In the village of Chogre Umbari, the old water system leaked, so some sections were repaired and others rebuilt. In Jadha Umbari, contamination problems and algae made the water unsafe for drinking, so a new spring was tapped. Aveda provided the funds needed to buy materials for the improved infrastructure and for skilled labor to implement the project.

In the dry season, the women of the villages used to spend three hours every morning and three hours every evening carrying water from a kilometer away.

They now have six more hours in the day—to help their children with schoolwork and to plant gardens to raise vegetables for their families.

I just found out the unfortunate news from Nika from Pirouette Makeup on her latest video. I did a google search and found out it was true. Read here and here. Basically M.A.C along with other Estee Lauder brands, have changed their statement on animal testing to say that they do not test on animals or ask others to do so except when required by law. This basically means that they test on animals when they sell in markets, such as China, who enforce animal testing on all cosmetics.

So I went to a bunch of sites from brands owned by Estée Lauder (Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Bumble & Bumble, Clinique, La Mer, M.A.C, Ojon, Origins) and looked on their website for their stand on animal testing. Here is what I found. You’ll notice that some of them have the same statement other than the brand name. I will no longer purchase from any of these brands until they commit to being cruelty-free again, and I encourage everyone to do the same. As with my Mary Kay products, I will finish using them up but will not repurchase anything.

One major company that’s blazing the cruelty-free trail is Aveda, a leading manufacturer of shampoos, conditioners, hairstyling products, cleansers, perfumes, makeup, and spa products. Founded in 1978 by Horst Rechelbacher, Aveda uses freshly distilled plants and flower essences to create makeup as well as hair care, skin care, and body care products based on aromatherapy. Aveda relies on human studies of the physiological effects of botanical ingredients to develop its broad range of products.

After your shower, you can reach for more Aveda products to primp your healthy, shiny, and revitalized head of hair. From Flax Seed/Aloe Strong Hold Sculpting Gel and Volumizing Tonic to Brilliant Finishing Gloss and Light Elements Reviving Mist, Aveda has something for you.

Best of all, Aveda’s products are cruelty-free, making you beautiful inside and out. Aveda products are sold primarily through boutiques and professional salons and are available in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Italy.

This is a site concerning Ayurveda and all things herbal. This will be an informative site that will combine the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with contemporary news and studies pertaining to health and beauty.